Interview with Morry Foley
TitleInterview with Morry Foley
ReferenceTAPE/309
Date
18/01/1972
Scope and ContentMorry was born on 6/1/1922. In 1936, when he was 14, he left school and soon afterwards started working in the London docks. His family had left Ireland (Cork area) in the 1840s, during the Famine, settled in the Wapping area of London, and worked in the docks there. He talked about the importance of this Irish background. 1936 was a good time to be working in the docks, as the slump was just about over, and the Docks Regulation (safety regulations) had been introduced at about that time, creating more jobs. Union membership was required in order to be employed in the docks, and Morry joined the TGWU. He was in the army from 1939 until May 1946. He went back to the dock where he had worked before the War. Conditions had not changed much, although there was more discipline. Some of the older dockers were not happy with this, believing that the rights they had struggled to get were being eroded. Also the introduction of PAYE meant many workers having to pay tax for the first time. Morry was a member of the Labour Party. The Royal Docks had a reputation for being militant. Morry spoke about various disputes he was involved in, including the Canadian Seamen’s Strike. (He was centrally involved in the 1972 Cold Stores dispute, and was named in the NIRC case.)
Extent1 Cassette tape
Physical descriptionNWA copy
LanguageEnglish
Persons keywordFoley, Morry
SubjectOral history, Dock workers, Trade unions, Disputes
Conditions governing accessOpen
Levelfile
Normal locationZ (Room 24)